The Gift
by thenameisdenise
Summary: Based on songs from Miss Saigon. Completely and totally AU.
1. Sun And Moon

**A/N: I've been listening again to the original soundtrack of** _ **Miss Saigon**_ **. I thought I can write an AU or use Castle and Beckett as Chris and Kim. I've been pondering on this for a long time if I'll publish at all. Hehe! I decided I will. I can't promise how often I can update sinnce real life is quite hectic and my muse hates me for my mind went technical again. Hopefully, I'll finish a couple chapters this month as we don't have a lot of things...yet.  
**

 **I took liberty of changing their age gap.**

* * *

 _He looks at her sleeping form on the hotel bed, thinking about the night they had. Or the night they hadn't. After a while, he stands up and paces. Nothing had happened, not yet, but everyone expected that something should. He glances at her again and shakes his head. How does someone like her be in that place? It's not somewhere a…girl like her should be. And now she's here, with him, as a gift._

* * *

 **Last night, at a bar in midtown New York**

"Come on, Rick!" his friends cajoled. "We must celebrate the success of your first book signing! Drink up!"

Richard Castle just smiles, raises his glass, and drinks the lager that is served, along with several bar girls who are laughing along with them. He's used to his friends treating him out to bars and tonight is one of those nights. He had his first book signing for _In the Hail of Bullets_ and this is his treat: in a Japanese hostess club called Taiyō to Tsuki. His friends have all ordered sake, beer, and lager, and women. Not that he doesn't want to but living and seeing his mother struggle growing up just for them to have something to eat is enough for him to think that all women should be treated with respect.

"Hey, you!" Charlie calls out. "Get over here."

Rick looks up to see a young female, barely out of her teens, being dragged to their table. She's reluctant and he surmises she must be new.

"Charlie," he says. "If she doesn't want to…"

"Don't be such a killjoy," Charlie replies. "This is your night. Takumi! Nice of you to drop by our table."

Takumi, the owner of the bar, bows and gleefully presents them with the girl.

Rick looks at her and sees fear in her hazel eyes. His initial impression must be correct. She is indeed new to this and scared to death of being presented to a group of men who will most likely harass her.

Takumi was speaking. "Yes, yes. She new. She start last week. No man yet so if you want, me give her to you."

His friends cheer. "Our friend Rick here had just had his first book signing. We want him to be happy tonight," Damian tells the owner.

"I'm happy enough with the drinks, thanks," Rick says, raising his glass again. The girl looks at him and is that relief in her eyes he saw?

"Bullshit!" exclaims Joe. "You're the ladies' man. You have a book out! Celebrate!"

"No, thanks," Castle replies, trying to pacify the behaviour of his friends. "Seriously, guys. This is enough."

"If you don't want her then," Charlie says. "We'll take her."

The table laughed and Takumi forcibly pushed the girl to sit in between his friends. All the girls who are with them laughed along, not minding the new entertainment who came.

Rick tried not to meddle with what is happening in front of him but unable to, he stands up and tells his friends that he accepts the girl.

"Attaboy, Rick," Damian rises and slaps him on his back. He then drags the girl, who is nearly in tears, up and pushes her in Rick's direction.

"Make him happy. You're his gift."

His friends just laughed and continued on with the partying.

"Mr Rodgers," Takumi says. "Or Mr Castle, now, eh? Off with girl?"

Castle looks behind him to the frightened girl and answers the owner that he is and he will be taking her to his hotel room. He then offers Takumi some money.

"No, no, no," the owner says. "Her first before pay."

"Takumi," Castle says, calmly. "I know that I had just published my first book and I don't know if it will ever be as successful as Stephen King's but I want to buy her out."

"Eh?" the owner wonders. "You buy virgin? She no good."

He hears the girl sniffle. She's clearly not supposed to be here but that's what intrigued him. Why would a girl like her choose to work in this godforsaken place? There must be a reason.

"Yes, Takumi," the writer answers. "I will buy her and take her to my hotel room."

"Fine," the Japanese says. "If disappointed with her, no refund."

"I understand," he smiles.

He gives the money to Takumi and turns back to the girl.

"Do you need to change?"

The girl nods.

"I'll wait for you by the entrance."

"Thank you," the girl says breathlessly, grateful that she will be out of the bar for the night.

Richard smiles back at her and gestures for the door. She nods and quickly rendezvous at the back to get her clothes.

* * *

 **At the hotel, night**

"Yes. Oh and chocolates, please," Castle tells the person at the other end of the line. "Thank you."

He puts down the phone and scans the room. He finds the girl going around, wide-eyed at how big the presidential suite of the Waldorf-Astoria is.

"It's crazy that they should billet me here," he says. The girl turns around. "I'm just a budding writer."

"If you had a book signing earlier, they must know that you're going to be a hotshot," she answers, smiling meekly.

"I hope you don't mind," he says, going around the coffee table to approach her. "But may I ask for your name."

The girl stares at him, studying him as if she's debating on whether to trust this stranger. But for the hell of it she answers, "Katie. My name is Katie."

"Katie," he repeats. "Kate."

"Kate," she echoes. "I like it. More grown up."

She continues her wanderings around the suite and he follows. They reach the huge bedroom and she looks at him. Something flashed in her eyes and on her face, as if realizing what she must do. With a sigh that she hopes goes unnoticed (but he does notice), she reaches for the top button of her polo shirt and begins to undress in front of him.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on a second," he says, going to her to quickly and stopping her fingers. Her hands are too small for his. "No."

"No?" Kate wonders. "Isn't this why you bought me?"

Castle then understands.

"No," he affirms. "I didn't pay Takumi to have sex with you for the night. I paid him to let you out of that shithole."

Kate's eyes widen at his statement. Then she burst into tears. Castle hugs her, comforting her for the first time in a week. They stood there for quite some time until they hear room service knock on the door.

After devouring the gourmet dinner and chocolates, Castle puts on some slow music from the radio hidden in the shelves. It's a kind of waltz and it makes him want to dance. He remembers dancing to this music backstage with his mother during one of her opening nights on Broadway. So he closes his eyes and sways.

Kate looks at him mesmerised, but the ridiculousness of this man makes her giggle. He opens one eyes and offers a hand to her, which she accepts. Together, they danced and swayed to the slow music, just letting the moment sink in.

"You're great at this," she murmurs. "Where'd you learn to dance?"

"My mother is a Broadway actress," he replies. "We used to dance backstage on opening night to alleviate her nervousness."

He looks at her, "And you?"

"My mum, too."

He didn't expect the curtness but he noticed that at the mention of her mother's name, her voice wavered a little. Something must have happened, very recently, too, if her reaction is that way. He wanted to prod and ask some more but he let it slip. She'll open up to him if she wants to but now is probably not the time. They just met.

 _They just met._ It keeps on repeating inside his brain like a broken record but hell, he thinks he's falling for her. There's something in her eyes, something in her demeanour, something mysterious about her. It again brings him as to why she was in Taiyō to Tsuki.

The music stopped and they do, too, and look at each other. Without further ado, he kissed her lightly on the lips. She seemed surprised but she responded, tentatively. She doesn't know how to do this but she's trying and he liked it. He never pushed too far. She's young and she probably thinks that he's really old. As the need for oxygen arose, they pulled apart and Kate giggled again. It's more like tinkled, a beautiful, tinkling sound escaping from her lips. Like a faery's tinkling.

"What?" he asks her.

"Nothing," Kate says, touching her lips with her nimble fingers. "It's just…it's just that this is what it's all about."

"What is?"

"Kissing," she says, innocently. "My friends always talk about how they kiss their boyfriends."

Castle smiles at her.

"Do you like it?" he asks.

Her big, expressive eyes looks intently at him, in all seriousness, then brightens up the same time as a huge smile adorns her face.

"Yes," she answers. "This is the first time in weeks that I've been this happy. Thank you."

"This happy?"

It just slipped. He wasn't even thinking when he said it but it wiped away the beautiful smile on her beautiful face.

"Sorry," she says. "I've got to go."

She gathers her belongings and goes to the doorway.

"Wait," Rick grabs her arm, lightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Just stay, please."

"So we can have sex? I am your gift."

"No. Just stay. And it's dangerous out there. You…you can leave in the morning."

She's studying him again. She's learning to trust, whether just now or have been before. She gives up and leaves her clothes on the couch across the bookshelves.

"Thank you," he tells her.

She just nods.

* * *

 **Early morning, present**

His pacing is what might have woken her up. She lifts her head a little and sees that he is sitting by the window.

"Good morning," she whispers.

He startled. He thought that she was still sleeping.

"Good morning to you, too."

"Did you sleep well?"

"A little. I was worried."

She sits up. "About what?"

"You."

His answer surprised her. They just met and he's worried about her. Something is not right, she tells herself. But she actually likes it. This is the first time in months that someone cared.

"You are worried about me?" she asks. "Why? We just met and…"

"Because there's something about you that I just can't figure out," he interrupts.

He again surprised her with the answer.

"I'm nothing," she whispers. "No one."

He goes to bed and sits beside her and takes her hand in his.

"There's something in you that I want to find out answers to."

She looks up at him. His gentle blue eyes are staring at her, deep, looking for answers to his questions that she may or may not have. She knows what he wants then.

"Five months ago, some weeks after my 19th birthday, my mother was found dead in an alley," she begins. "She was stabbed but it wasn't a robbery. All her jewelleries and money were still with her. So the detectives who investigated attributed it to random gang violence. My father took it hard and became friends with the bottle. He's in and out of rehab."

She wiped away a tear that she didn't realise fell from her left eye. Castle scooted nearer so she was in his arms, enveloping her with his comforting hug again.

"I'm sorry," he says, kissing her temple. "I never should have…"

"It's alright," Kate answers. "For the first time, it actually felt great to tell someone."

Telling her story, Rick understood why she decided, needed to be in that hellhole.

"I wanted to continue studying," she continues. "But I need to work for the money. That's why I'm in that bar."

"You didn't want to."

"No."

Nothing much is said for a few minutes. They just sat there, comfort found in each other. Castle understood everything even without asking her much anymore. Just the simplest story of how her mother was found dead is enough for him to know what Kate's been going through. He had listened to countless similar stories backstage, why they took up a job that they think would pay the bills. Rick and Kate stayed that way that they never realised that it was dawn. Only when Rick glanced at the curtained windows and saw light passing through the bottom space that he noticed.

"The sun is up," he muses. "Maybe we should order breakfast."

Kate looks at him, shyly.

"What?" he asks.

"Two beings put together," she says. "The gods must be insane."

He chuckles. "You're getting poetic on me."

"You're the writer," Kate says, amused. "Tell me a story."

"Well," Castle says. "Last night, the gods brought me a mysterious girl. I kept telling myself that I can and could find answers to her. I discovered that I don't."

He caresses her cheek and she leans on to the touch.

"How in the name of Jove that two different beings from two different worlds are brought together one night?" he asks.

"I don't know. We're blessed," she answers.

"Blessed," he echoes. "Two different beings together, like the sun and the moon."

Kate looks straight at him, tears staining her cheeks, and whispers, "The bar's name. It's Japanese for Sun and Moon."

He leans to her and kisses her passionately. She gives in to him, to the feeling. She let him lie her down in the bed and hovers above her. He pulls apart from the kiss, touches his forehead on hers. Both are still tentative on what they know they want to happen.

"Are you sure about this?" he whispers.

She takes his face between her hands and says, "I am."

He kisses her again, languidly. He stops and he gets up and takes off his shirt and his trousers. Kate looks at him in awe. When he goes back to bed, Kate reached for his lips, trusting him ardently, and allows him to take off her shirt.

* * *

 **Thank you to my wonderful beta _smilingstana_ at Tumblr. This is the first time I asked because I want this to be really good. **

**As usual, reviews are welcome!**


	2. Why God Why

**A/N: This is un-beta'd (my great beta is busy at the moment) and I will update once I get her corrections, if there are any. This is actually a combination of the songs Why God Why and This Money Is Yours.**

 **Written for Castle Fanfic Monday. Reviews are welcome. :)**

Castle wakes up a few hours later to find Kate still asleep. He looks at her and he smiles. She's sleeping peacefully, a hint of a smile on her lips, despite all the bad things that has happened to her. Bad things that she managed to tell him at dawn and he kept thinking about since then. He knows he shouldn't but just a few hours with her makes him want to take this tiny, broken being in his care. And not just because she's that.

He slowly sits up so as not to wake her. She shifts a little and he notices the small spot of red on the sheets. He is drawn to it but at the same time wants to berate himself for it. He gets up and puts on his boxers instead and goes to the bathroom to splash water on his face. He looks into the mirror and tells himself that it was all too fast.

"Should it be this way?" he whispers to his reflection.

He hears his phone buzzing in the other room so he wipes his face and goes to the living room to take the call.

"Yeah," he answers.

"You would not believe this!"

It was Paula, his publicist.

"Since your book signing was a big hit yesterday, Black Pawn is asking you to write them three more books!"

"That's great," Castle says.

"You don't sound thrilled," the publicist tells him on the other line. "Partied too hard last night with your friends?"

"It's not that," he started to say. "I am thrilled and it's great. But…"

He faltered.

"But…what?" his publicist went on. "Did something happen last night that I didn't know?"

As Castle around, he got a glimpse of the bedroom. Kate is still fast asleep.

"Rick," he hears on the other end. "Are you still there? Of course, you're still there. I can hear you walking."

"Yeah," he replies. "It's just that…I met someone."

Seeing as this is nothing new, Paula just huffed at the other end of the line. Even before releasing his first book, Paula knew him as a playboy. His mother introduced him to her, two women at each arm. He respects the girls, she's happy at that, but playboy nonetheless. Telling her that he met someone at the party his friends threw him last night is not surprising at all.

"Paula," he begins to explain. "She's…different."

"You always say that to me for every girl you've met over the years."

"I know," he says, sneaking a glance at the bedroom. "This time, it's real."

"Pssh, same script," Paula scoffs. "Is it real enough to warrant a chapter in your next book? Richard, are you happy or what? Because if not, I'll tell Black Pawn that you're declining their offer and you're just going to be a one-hit wonder."

Castle rubbed his eyes. Paula can be a nuisance sometimes but she's right. She's one of the best publicists in the business and if it wasn't for her, he wouldn't have gotten Black Pawn as his publisher.

"I am happy," he answers. "Listen, you can tell them that I'm accepting their offer. Let me just sort this out."

"Sort it out faster."

Curt. Then Paula hang up.

Kate is stirring when he enters the bedroom. He goes to sit beside her and gently caresses her face.

 _Why give me such a beautiful face if I'm just going to leave her?_

"Good morning," he says.

"Is it still morning?"

"Well, it's 11. It's near lunchtime."

Kate winces as she sits up. Castle immediately scans her all over to see if there is something wrong with her, asking if she's hurting. Only when she giggled, oh! that tinkling sound, did he stop and realise why.

"Oh yeah," Rick laughs along with her. "Sorry."

"I'm not," Kate replies, smiling from ear to ear. "I had the best night since…"

She stops. Rick knows why; so he hugs her to comfort her but he actually feels that he's comforting himself.

He cannot stop thinking about the conversation with Paula. He knows that he has to tell Kate that he has to leave her, for career purposes. But he just can't seem to do it. He doesn't have the heart especially after the night they spent.

"Rick?" she asks beneath his arms. "I can sense that there's something wrong. What is it?"

He lets go of her and stares at those beautiful and haunting hazel eyes of hers, just like he stared at them last night. It's mesmerising and at that moment, he knew he's lost in them.

"My publicist called. She says that I have a three-book deal from my publisher."

"That's great," Kate starts. "But why aren't you thrilled?"

He stares at her, deep, that it makes Kate want to cry. She somehow knew in her heart that this will happen. She should have gotten herself ready but after last night, she knew she's lost in him. All of him.

"You should go," she tells him. "It's the way it should be."

"I don't want it to be," Rick answers.

"I'm a gift."

"You're not. And no," he rebuts. "Before you say anything more, I never thought of you as one."

Kate looks at him, her reflection in his sad eyes.

"I know," she says, meekly. "I felt it. But I still am one, whether or not you like it."

They stay silent for some time, both asking themselves if they should stay or go, both not wanting to do the latter but knows the repercussions if they do the former. The silence is broken when Castle stands up and gets his wallet.

"You should take this."

He is giving her a wad of cash. It's probably enough for her to last for a couple of weeks before she finds another job. She's conflicted but she stands her ground.

"No. I won't. You already paid for me back at the club."

"I don't need them." _If I can't have you_ , he thinks.

Kate stands up and walks to him. She's naked but both didn't mind. There are far more issues to talk about than her being naked in front of him. When she reaches where he was standing, she embraces him, tight. Then Castle feels her tears on his shoulders.

"I don't care," Kate says. "I'd rather you leave and we not see each other again."

Castle pushes her back a little and wipes away the tears. He stares at the angelic face, into her eyes – brokenness still there but a wound mended. He thinks of what he wants to do, needs to do.

"Come with me," he says. "Come home with me."

Kate steps back. It's not what she wants to hear so the offer surprised her. It was just one night.

"Kate…"

"Mr Castle…Rick."

"Do you not want to?"

Kate stares at him. She wants to, more than he'll ever know. She trusts him but she is conflicted.

"My dad," she begins. "I should be with him."

Castle understands. This girl, this woman. She carries the world on her shoulder when she shouldn't have to. He wants to mend her but at the same time, he knows that if he does, the more she will push him away.

"Go," he tells her. "Go to him. He needs you."

"Rick…"

Kate steps back into his space. She reaches out to him, touches his face. She knows what to do now. For everything that happened to her in the past several years, she feels that this is the moment the gods allow her to just be.

"I'll come with you," she says. "I just want you."

A smile forms on Rick's face and he carries her, all of her in her nakedness. He never felt this way before, certainly not with the other women he had before. He believes that she is indeed a gift to him, a gift from the gods, the gift that he had been wishing for so long.

Amidst the happiness, they know that they must sort it all out. As Paula had said.

"Rick!" she giggles. "Please put me down. I'm naked."

"Oh yeah!" Castle says, surprised.

He realises it now that all this time she was naked. He realises that she had opened a door for him and only for him. She will be closed to the world outside this little bubble of theirs but to him, she will remain open.

Kate laughs as she puts on her clothes. Castle was making faces that makes her laugh like she has never laughed before. Well, before her mother was taken away from them, before her father took the bottle as a friend. This man is her saviour.

"You go to your dad," Castle tells her. "And I will meet you back here."

"You promise?"

There's hope in her eyes and he kisses her, to show that she can trust him with all of her heart.

"I promise."

She turns around and goes out the door, smiles on both their faces, both high on a feeling both of them need to shout to the world.


End file.
